Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was focused only on pitching in his start on Wednesday against the New York Mets at Dodgers Stadium, and he delivered. Ohtani picked up his second win of the season in an 8-2 win, allowing only one earned run on two hits while walking two and striking out 10 in six innings of work. The 31-year-old Japanese superstar and four-time MVP was mowing hitters down, and he generated a whopping 22 swings and misses on the night. Ohtani mixed all of his pitches well and displayed his elite heater (he hit 100 mph several times) to befuddle the struggling Mets lineup. We all know how good Ohtani is with a bat in his hands, but Wednesday night served as a reminder that he's also pretty elite as a starting pitcher, too. Through his first three starts in 2026 (18 innings), Ohtani has allowed only two runs (one earned) on seven hits) while walking six and striking out 18. He'll be a must-start in fantasy lineups for his next scheduled start on the mound next week in San Francisco against the division-rival Giants.

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Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart is in the midst of a breakout season early on in 2026 in his first full year in the big leagues. In the team's 8-3 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, Stewart went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, six RBI, and a strikeout. Stewart hit two three-run home runs early in this game against Giants right-hander Tyler Mahle, and the Reds never looked back. It was Stewart's first multi-homer game of his career, and most likely the first of many to come. The 22-year-old former first-rounder in 2022 is hitting .323/.434/.726 with a 1.160 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI, three stolen bases, 13 runs scored, 13 walks, and 13 strikeouts in 76 plate appearances over his first 18 games in 2026. Stewart's seven home runs lead all rookie hitters, and he also leads the league with his .726 slugging percentage in the early going. His ownership in fantasy baseball has taken off since the start of the regular season, and he's now rostered in 88% of Yahoo leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays infielder Lenyn Sosa will make the start at second base again on Thursday for the second straight day in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Brandon Sproat at American Family Field, according to MLB.com. Sosa, who was recently acquired in a trade from the Chicago White Sox, made his first start with the team on Wednesday and went 1-for-3 at the plate in the team's 2-1 loss to the Brew Crew. He will hit fifth in the batting order on Thursday. Sosa will get a shot to be the team's primary second baseman against right-handed pitchers. So far in 14 games in 2026, he has gone 9-for-37 (.243) at the plate with no homers, three RBI, and three runs scored in 37 plate appearances. Sosa is a career .246/.273/.387 hitter with a .661 OPS, 37 home runs, 128 RBI, and five stolen bases in 317 games played.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday in the series finale on the road against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, according to MLB.com. It's the second straight game that Will Brennan, who bats left-handed, will get the start over Ramos. Brennan is starting in left field and is hitting sixth against Reds right-hander Chase Burns. The 28-year-old Brennan could start to see more playing time if he handles himself well at the plate and Ramos continues to struggle. In Brennan's first four years in the big leagues with the Cleveland Guardians, he hit .267/.307/.373 with a .680 OPS, 14 home runs, 79 RBI, 19 stolen bases, and 84 runs scored in 866 plate appearances across 269 games played. Ramos is currently striking out over 35% of the time in his first 66 plate appearances in 2026 and has a .234 average (15-for-64) with no homers, seven RBI, two walks, and 24 strikeouts in 17 games.

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New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, who started on the bench in the last two games with left-handers on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels, is back at first base and is hitting fifth for Thursday's series finale against the Halos and left-hander Brent Suter at Yankee Stadium, per MLB.com. Manager Aaron Boone said during spring training that Rice would see more starts against left-handed pitchers in 2026, so it was disappointing for fantasy managers to see him on the bench for the first couple of games of the series. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger is hitting a cool .333 (17-for-51) with four home runs, 13 RBI, one stolen base, and 15 runs scored in his first 17 games this year after slashing .255/.337/.499 with an .836 OPS, 26 homers, and 65 RBI in 138 games in 2025 in his first full season in the majors. Rice has work to do against southpaws, as he's hit just .194 (30-for-155) against them with a .673 OPS and eight of his 37 career home runs.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park, according to MLB.com. Billy Cook is making the start in left field for the Bucs and will bat ninth against Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin. It appears to be a normal rest day for Reynolds, a switch-hitter who typically fares better from the left side against right-handed pitchers. The 31-year-old veteran and two-time All-Star should be back in the starting lineup for the team's series opener on Friday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Reynolds is off to a strong start in 2026, going 19-for-66 (.288) at the plate with three home runs, a double, a triple, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored, and a stolen base in 80 plate appearances over 18 games played. Fantasy managers in daily leagues will want to remove him from their starting lineups on Thursday. Cook will be playing in just his 30th big-league game since debuting in 2024 with Pittsburgh. He has one hit in his four plate appearances so far in 2026 in 10 games.

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Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu earned his second hold of the season and pitched 1 1/3 innings without giving up a hit or a run. Even though he was effective, it was not a good sign for the 28-year-old's fantasy value that he entered the game in the seventh inning with two outs. He worked a scoreless eighth inning as well but gave the ball to Enyel De Los Santos to close out the game. Abreu hasn't earned a save in any of his last five appearances, giving up five runs on five hits with eight walks and six strikeouts. He seems to have been passed by De Los Santos as the preferred option for save chances, while the team awaits the return of Josh Hader (biceps) later this season. Abreu could work his way back into that role, but for now, he doesn't carry enough fantasy value for a roster spot in standard-sized mixed leagues.

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Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Drew Pomeranz is a very intriguing speculative pickup in deep leagues, since he could be next up for the Angels after Jordan Romano has blown two save chances in New York. Pomeranz has allowed four runs on six hits in eight games this season, but he has only allowed one run in six innings over his last six appearances. He has four holds in those six games, but has not been brought into a save opportunity. Pomeranz retired four in a row before giving the ball to Romano for the ninth inning, and since that went so poorly, the Angels could be forced to shake up the roles for the end of the game in their high-leverage situations even before Kirby Yates (knee) joins the mix later this season.

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Athletics relief pitcher Joel Kuhnel got a four-out save on Wednesday night, picking up two strikeouts and retiring all four Rangers he faced to secure his third save of the year. The 31-year-old righty has given up just one hit and no runs in 4 2/3 innings this season and is a very solid option at the end of the game for the A's. With such a strong start to the year, he's a great addition from the waiver wire if you are searching for saves, even though there's no apparent reason the journeyman has been so effective after joining the team on a minor-league contract. He has been so effective, though, that he's a great grab for as long as he keeps the closer role for the Athletics.

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Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe stepped into a ninth-inning role on Wednesday night and pitched a perfect inning to secure his team's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. Uribe retired the Jays in order with a strikeout to earn his first save of the season, and his velocity was back to where it was last season. Uribe's velocity had been down, and he gave up four runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first seven appearances before stepping up on Wednesday. The Brewers have been contemplating a closer change with Uribe and Trevor Megill both struggling, and Uribe delivered in this contest. He could secure the role going forward with more outings like this one, and if he does, he'll be a great closer option in all formats. If he's available in your league, he's a great pickup if you're searching for saves.

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Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jordan Romano let another game slip away in New York on Wednesday night. He came on in the ninth inning with a one-run lead and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk, while recording just one out. Romano gave up a walk-off double to Jose Caballero, taking his second blown save of the three-game series against the Yankees. Before the double, though, Romano's defense let him down when a routine pop-up dropped between Zach Neto and Oswald Peraza to start the meltdown. The 32-year-old had been perfect in four save opportunities before this series, and it will be interesting to see if he gets another chance or if the team goes another direction. Kirby Yates (knee) is nearing a return and could be part of the solution if Romano continues to struggle.

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Houston Astros relief pitcher Enyel De Los Santos worked a perfect ninth in his team's 3-1 win on Wednesday night. He picked up a pair of strikeouts against pinch-hitter Brett Sullivan and Brenton Doyle to preserve the win for Spencer Arrighetti. De Los Santos earned his second save of the season and has allowed only one run on four hits across 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Josh Hader (biceps) is working his way back, but since he is likely at least a month away, De Los Santos will likely remain in the mix for a few saves along with. Bryan Abreu over the next few weeks. In deep or AL-only leagues, De Los Santos is definitely worth owning if you're searching for saves, although his long-term outlook is in more of a setup role.

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Cubs' SP Shota Imanaga recorded 11 strikeouts in 6 innings collecting the win in a 11-2 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Diamondbacks' DH Adrian Del Castillo had five RBIs going 2-for-5 with a home run in a 8-5 win over Baltimore on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Reds' 1B Sal Stewart had six RBIs going 2-for-4 with two home runs in a 8-3 win over the Giants on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Houston Astros' SP Spencer Arrighetti recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings collecting the win in a 3-1 win over the Rockies on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Los Angeles Dodgers' DH Shohei Ohtani recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings getting the win in a 8-2 win over the Mets on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Red Sox's SS Trevor Story had five RBIs going 2-for-4 with a home run in a 9-5 win over Minnesota on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Cubs' 2B Nico Hoerner had five RBIs going 3-for-5 with a home run in a 11-2 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, Apr. 15.

Across his first 77 plate appearances of 2026, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is hitting .234/.351/.406 with three home runs, six RBI, and nine runs scored. Fresh off a 45-homer season as a 21-year-old in 2025, Caminero hasn't been quite as dynamic early on this year. Still, Caminero's 19.5% strikeout rate is right in line with the 19.1% mark he posted last season. Opposing pitchers are being extra cautious this year with Caminero, as his 15.6% walk rate is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his 6.3% rate from 2025. Caminero has consistently shown the ability to make hard contact throughout his MLB career to this point, which should help him regain his power stroke over a larger sample size of at-bats. Fantasy managers should be patient with Caminero through the early portion of the season.

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